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Anthony Joshua told “pointless” Francis Ngannou fight is “bad for boxing”

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Former world champion Carl Froch has told Anthony Joshua his fight with Francis Ngannou is a waste of time.

Joshua will take on ex-UFC heavyweight world champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8. The Brit had planned to take on Deontay Wilder in the Middle East but the American slipped to a shock defeat against Joseph Parker last month.

Ngannou stepped in after impressing the boxing world on his professional debut when he dropped Tyson Fury in the third round before losing on points. Joshua knows victory could earn him a shot at the winner of Fury’s clash with Oleksandr Usyk which takes place next month.

But Froch sees no point in him facing Ngannou instead of a legitimate contender. “It’s bad for boxing because who wants to watch it? Because when Joshua wins, what’s he done? What’s he achieved? F*** all,” he told Lord Ping. “All he wants is bragging rights to say he did a better job than Fury, but no one cares. Joshua Ngannou is a pointless fight. It’s doing nothing for boxing.

“Sure, it keeps him ticking over while he waits for the winner of Fury versus Usyk, but why not fight a real boxer; fight Zhilei Zhang, fight Joe Joyce, fight Daniel Dubois. There are fights available to Joshua against top contenders and real boxers. But instead he’s jumping in with Ngannou in a pointless exhibition.”

Joshua, however, insists Ngannou represents a danger to his dream of becoming a three-time champion. “He brings two arms, a body, but his mind is different to everyone else. In terms of his frame and make-up I’ve seen people like him many times before,” he said.

On his thoughts when the Ngannou fight was offered, Joshua added: “No problem. Every fight leads to somewhere, so this fight is my everything and we will see where it leads me. My main focus is Ngannou and getting through an intense training camp. I have got to take his mind and his spirit, it will be explosive. We can both trade and it will be a good fight.”

 

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua won’t have bad influences in camp like Tyson Fury did but you can’t count Ngannou out, says UFC icon

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Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou

MICHAEL BISPING has refused to count Francis Ngannou out – no matter how seriously Anthony Joshua takes the fight.

Ngannou put on hold his MMA career in October for a boxing switch and sensationally dropped Tyson Fury on his debut.

But Fury escaped with a controversial points win and faced fierce backlash in the aftermath.

Training partners and his own dad John admitted the preparation was far from ideal despite Fury insisting he gave Ngannou his full respect.

Now Joshua is the next man to welcome the ex-UFC champion to the ring on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

And British UFC legend Bisping is certain AJ will not make the same mistakes that so nearly cost Fury.

Tyson Fury

He told Betway: “Tyson fury’s father said that there were people around training camp that maybe weren’t the best influences on him and maybe that affected his performance, but Anthony Joshua isn’t going to do that.

“Anthony Joshua is a proper athlete and he takes his career very, very seriously and he’s had a great 2023, he’s won three in a row.

“He looked great against Otto Wallin, he looked back to the old AJ, he got his stoppage inside five rounds.

“But you have to give Ngannou a chance. If you can sit down Tyson Fury he can probably sit down Anthony Joshua.”

Fury, 35, kept alive his undisputed title decider with Oleksandr Usyk, 36, set for February 17 in Riyadh.

And just three weeks later, Joshua, 34, faces Ngannou, 37, with the winner told they will be next in line for the undisputed crown.

It means the victors from the pair of Saudi super-fights will collide in a blockbuster finale to crown the world’s best heavyweight.

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BOXING

Former Champion Carl Froch Names Francis Ngannou “Natural Born Killer” While Cautioning Anthony Joshua of What’s Coming at Him Ahead of March Clash

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Anthony Joshua

It’s a fight that a boxing die-hard would kill for. But it is also a fight that many would rather leave for their dreams. From one corner comes Anthony Joshua. A pedigreed Olympic gold medalist who later became a unified world champion. ‘AJ’ won the last three matches. From the opposite, arrives Francis Ngannou.

A one-match old boxing novice. He, however, comes off a nearly decade-long exemplary mixed martial arts career that saw him eventually become a world heavyweight champion. So what chance does ‘The Predator’ have against a seasoned boxer? Defying heavy odds, the Cameroonian-French fighter shook up Tyson Fury last October. So could he repeat the performance against Joshua, or better yet, go beyond? Can ‘AJ’ rely on his latest triumphs and cultivate the confidence to see him through Ngannou? The former super middleweight champion and International Hall of Fame inductee dove deep to see what might be in store for the former heavyweight champion.

So who’s the prey?

It was Carl Froch‘s turn. With nearly a month-and-a-half left for the big bout, the Englishman shared how he had been critical of it. When Francis Ngannou went against Tyson Fury, everyone’s opinion changed when they saw the way he fought. In a lot of ways, Ngannou made a mockery of the heavyweight division. So even though he lost, it wasn’t a resounding victory a professional boxer could be proud of.

Anthony Joshua

Hence, in his opinion, the match with Joshua could be inconsistent. But the thought remains unaligned with how Francis Ngannou dealt with Tyson Fury. Instead, it has more to do with whether Anthony Joshua has been able to make a successful return and the way it’s been projected.

He said, “So now what I’m saying is it’s not a mismatch because of what Ngannou did to Fury….. but I thoroughly expect Anthony Joshua, who’s been busy; he’s had three fights last year….he’s got bags of experience; he seems to be getting more confident now; he seems to be getting that mojo back; that mindset seems to be coming; …that Anthony Joshua might just be back, but the only caveat to that is is he back; we don’t know…”

He reasoned that the three fighters he fought last year—Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, and Otto Wallin—never went against him, displaying any spirit to win. Debatably, he appeared a bit motivated against Helenius. However, the equations change when it boils down to Ngannou.

Anthony Joshua walking into ‘The Predator’s Lair

The mixed martial artist might be his equal in terms of strength. But he appears way too big and heavy for Joshua. All in all, he has the natural instincts of a killer. “Mindset of a killer, he is a killer, a born killer. Natural Born Killer look at his background story; look where he comes from; look at what he’s done in the MMA world; he’s going to be coming to Anthony Joshua, sticking it on hi

So he would be going all-out against Joshua. How the British boxer would respond, time alone will tell since it is difficult to anticipate based on his last three bouts, the former super middleweight champion emphasized.

In his final analysis, Carl Froch rued the fact that Anthony Joshua changed as a boxer after suffering his first loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. It might be said that he has improved, but whether he has returned to the way he used to fight earlier remains a big question.

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua insists he has ‘never left’ top of boxing scene ahead of Francis Ngannou fight

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua insists he has “never left” the top of heavyweight boxing as he prepares for his March clash against Francis Ngannou.

Joshua will fight former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou on March 8 in Saudi Arabia.

Two-time world champion Joshua lost his WBO, IBF, and WBA belts to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 before losing a rematch to the Ukrainian the following year.

He has since beaten Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and, in his most recent bout on December 23, Otto Wallin, when the Swedish fighter was pulled out by his corner after five rounds

In an interview with Sky News’ Jacquie Beltrao, Joshua said of his place in the top level of boxing: “I’ve never left!

“I’ll always be [there]. From the minute I’ve laced up these gloves from the amateurs until now, I’ve managed to keep my name at the top of the amateur scene and the professional scene.

Anthony Joshua

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder is not dead yet and can still happen on one condition

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Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder

Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder could still happen in the future.

The long-awaited heavyweight showdown was finally signed to take place in March in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, so long as both men won their fights in December.

AJ did his job in stopping Otto Wallin, however Wilder was comprehensively beaten by Joseph Parker in a major upset which scuppered plans.

The fight was scrapped as a result and His Excellency Turki Alalshikh (chairman of Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority – GEA) has put together a deal for Joshua to fight Francis Ngannou on March 8 instead.

Anthony Joshua

Despite this though, he has now given a new interview in which he’s insisted that AJ vs Wilder can still happen one day, so long as the American stages a successful comeback.

“We don’t want to waste time,” Alalshikh told DAZN.

“Tyson Fury is 35 now, Anthony Joshua is 34, Oleksandr Usyk is 37, Deontay Wilder is 38, Artur Beterbiev is 39 next week. We are losing time.

“The people need to see Fury vs Joshua, Joshua vs Wilder – I mean, I hope Wilder comes back.

“The fight between Joshua and Wilder [was signed].

“But you see the result [vs Joseph Parker] and the body condition of Wilder now, so it would not be reasonable to have the fight now. We want him to come back.”

For the time being, Alalshikh has made it clear that his plan is for the winner of AJ vs Ngannou to challenge for the undisputed heavyweight world titles.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will do battle for all four belts on February 17, with Joshua undoubtedly eyeing the winner.

Wilder will have to seriously impress to force his way back into the mix, but Alalshikh does intend to give him a pathway to do so.

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua To Face Francis Ngannou In Saudi Arabia Bout

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Anthony Joshua

On March 8, less than three months after stopping Otto Wallin in the Middle East to rekindle his career, Anthony Joshua will face former UFC heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.

Last year, Ngannou(17-3-0, 12KOs) nearly took the boxing champion by surprise by dropping him before losing by a slim margin of points.

Joshua(27-3, 24KOs) a 34-year old boxer from England is most likely to defeat Ngannou an MMA fighter from Cameroon, who is fighting in his second professional boxing match. Furthermore, the final undefeated heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, has forewarned the former two-time champion that he will not get any insight from the bout.

“IMO, this fight adds ZERO credibility to AJ’s resume,” wrote Lennox Lewis on social media.

Anthony Joshua

“He’s SUPPOSED to win this fight and when he does, what does he gain or learn by beating someone in his second heavyweight fight? If he loses, than it’s an absolute disaster. The same stood for Fury and it almost cost him everything,” he added.

“Listen in to yesterday.. the winner fights the winner of Fury vs Usyk for undisputed and when AJ joins your club I know you will be delighted for him,” said Eddie Hearn Joshua’s promoter  responding to Lewis.

Hearn was making reference to Joshua’s chance to challenge Ngannou for the undisputed title, which Joshua may acquire if he defeats the Ngannou from Saudi Arabia.

The first such champion since Lewis in 1999 will be crowned on February 17th, when Fury and Oleksandr Usyk square off. Since Filip Hrgovic has been Usyk’s mandatory challenger to the IBF title for a long time, it was believed that the belts would split immediately. Hearn, though, is optimistic that Joshua will get his chance.

Anthony Joshua

As the Saudi organizers get ready to wrap up Riyadh Season with another heavyweight bout, fighting Ngannou can keep Joshua motivated. Organizing massive athletic events has cost Saudi Arabia millions of dollars, and some argue that this unprecedented spending is meant to boost its reputation abroad and draw attention away from its violations of human rights and environmental degradation.

“Claims of ‘sportswashing’ are “very shallow,” and the investment is boosting the country’s economy, opening it up to tourism and inspiring people to be more active,” said  Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Saudi Arabia’s sports minister.

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Lennox Lewis questions whether Anthony Joshua will deserve an undisputed fight against Tyson Fury if he beats Francis Ngannou – as he names the two boxers he should fight next

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Lennox Lewis

Lennox Lewis has questioned whether Anthony Joshua ‘deserves’ a shot at the undisputed heavyweight title if he defeats Francis Ngannou.

The British boxing legend, 58, is a three-time heavyweight champion and the last to hold the undisputed championship.

Joshua could potentially have a chance to become the best heavyweight on the planet after he fights former UFC champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia in March.

Just a month earlier, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are fighting to become the divison’s undisputed champion.

Writing on social media, Lewis doubted whether Joshua should be given the chance to fight the winner of these two.

He said: ‘OK, Eddie Hearn, I know this is the promoter in you speaking, so I’ll break it down like the boxing fan I am.

Anthony Joshua

‘If AJ beats Ngannou, which he should, does that elevate him to a shot at undisputed? Beating Wallin and Ngannou? There’s a much better case for the winner of Joseph Parker vs Zhilei Zhang.

‘And if AJ gets through Ngannou, and Usyk wins undisputed, is the appetite for Usyk vs Joshua 3 out there? If Fury becomes undisputed, the man says he’s vacating all belts but the WBC and Ring so Fury in effect becomes last undisputed until someone else can Thanos them back together.

‘I still want to see AJ fight Fury and Wilder… those are big fights. But like I told Mike Tyson, if you keep fighting guys like Lou Savarese, you will NEVER be ready for me.’

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Frank Warren is prepared to make a sensational million pound bet with Eddie Hearn over their rival Matchroom and Queensberry companies.

The legendary boxing promoter was speaking with Mail Sport’s Charlotte Daly after the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou press conference in London.

‘We’ve got to sort out the weights,’ Warren said. ‘Because there’s five fights, there will be a winner one of the teams will win unless we get a draw.

‘To make it a little bit more spicy, I’d like to have a wager on it with [Hearn] as well. [I’d be willing to bet] a million pounds.’

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua sent “absolute disaster” warning ahead of Francis Ngannou fight

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Anthony Joshua

Boxing legend Lennox Lewis has told Anthony Joshua that defeat by Francis Ngannou is unthinkable.

Joshua will take on former UFC heavyweight world champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8, less than three months since he stopped Otto Wallin in the Middle East to reignite his career. Ngannou, meanwhile, almost shocked Tyson Fury last year when he dropped the boxing champion before losing a narrow points decision.

Joshua is the odds-on favourite to stop Ngannou who will be taking part in only his second-ever professional boxing fight. And Lewis, the last undisputed heavyweight champion, has warned the former two-time champion he won’t learn anything from the fight. “IMO, this fight adds ZERO credibility to AJ’s resume,” Lewis wrote on social media. “He’s SUPPOSED to win this fight and when he does, what does he gain or learn by beating someone in his second heavyweight fight? If he loses, than it’s an absolute disaster. The same stood for Fury and it almost cost him everything.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn responded to Lewis, saying: “Listen in to yesterday.. the winner fights the winner of Fury vs Usyk for undisputed and when AJ joins your club I know you will be delighted for him.” Hearn was referring to a promise from his Saudi Arabian paymasters that Joshua can earn a shot at the undisputed crown should he beat Ngannou.

Anthony Joshua

Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet on February 17 to crown the first such champion since Lewis in 1999. The belts had been expected to splinter in the immediate aftermath with Filip Hrgovic the long-standing mandatory challenger to Usyk’s IBF title. But Hearn is confident Joshua will be granted his shot.

“The winner of this fight fights the winner of Fury-Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight world championship,” he said. “I mean, for Ngannou, to fight for the undisputed championship in his third fight- could be a rematch with Fury. Could be the undisputed heavyweight world champion. For us, and for AJ, we’ve dreamed about that for so many years.

“I just said to AJ before the face-to-face, ‘Two wins and your undisputed heavyweight world champion.’ And I believe, he’s going to do it, I really do. I know I’m a fanboy but I believe he’s going to beat Ngannou and I believe he’s going to beat Tyson Fury. I will just say February 17, Oleksandr Usyk, I love you, but Tyson Fury you’ve got to win this fight because AJ, once he goes for Ngannou, we gotta make it happen. So good luck to both, but it’s just what I see. How exciting is that for boxing?”

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Anthony Joshua says he ‘f ruined’ rival’s career with uppercut in warning to Francis Ngannou

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Anthony Joshua warned Francis Ngannou that he would be unwise to underestimate the power that he possesses.

The two-time heavyweight world champion locks horns with the former UFC heavyweight world champion in the boxing ring on Friday March 8, with the verbal sparring beginning this week.

Ngannou warned Joshua that he’s capable of putting him in hospital in a chilling warning ahead of the fight dubbed ‘Knockout Chaos’.

And while ‘AJ’ is fully aware of Ngannou’s threat he still believes he’ll have too much for him.

The 34-year-old harked back to his impressive stoppage victory of Otto Wallin last month, his triumph over Robert Helenius earlier in 2023 as well as his brutal KO of Dillian Whyte in December 2015.

Joshua told Boxing News: “He has longer arms than me. He’s stocky and big.

“But I think people underestimate me, they think they can just come and put pressure on me because I am not mentally all that or this.

“And as much as there is hype around Ngannou, he still has to come through me. He is looking at someone who knows how to fight.

“I am a power puncher myself. I break peoples’ eye sockets.

“I broke Wallin’s nose and eye socket, Helenius got sparked out, and I f****** ruined Dillian Whyte’s career with an uppercut. The list goes on.

“He has to deal with me and that is what is going to make it a good fight.”

Ngannou has every right to feel confident having gone toe-to-toe with undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in October, losing narrowly on what was his professional boxing debut.

And Joshua admitted that one-upping his fellow Brit by beating Ngannou more convincingly would be satisfying.

He said: “There is an element of that. It’s all about perception in boxing.

“It just changes the whole perception if I can go out there and have a good fight. ‘Oh, AJ’s the king!’ my fans will roar louder.

“But I’ve still got a massive training camp to complete, I’ve still got to get through the fight first!

“Let’s get there first before we start thinking ahead.”

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Lennox Lewis’ opinion on Anthony Joshua fighting Francis Ngannou

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Lennox Lewis

Boxing legend Lennox Lewis has weighed in on the upcoming heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou, suggesting that the bout will add ‘zero credibility’ to AJ’s resume.

In a press conference this past Monday in London, England, Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou came face-to-face for the first time to officially confirm their blockbuster bout set for the 8th of March 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

This huge fight is set to take place just a matter of weeks after Tyson Fury takes on Oleksandr Usyk in another massive heavyweight clash on the 17th of February. It was revealed during the Joshua vs Ngannou press conference that the winners of these two bouts will go on to face each other later this year to crown the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Doubts over Francis Ngannou’s belonging at the top table

He’s only had one boxing fight so far, so questions have been raised

While Fury, Usyk, and Joshua have all earned their reputations as the best boxers currently in the heavyweight division, many fans have questioned the credibility of Ngannou being in the mix, having only ever competed in one boxing match to date.

After making the transition from the UFC, Ngannou impressed in his debut fight against Fury late last year, but ultimately lost the bout via split decision. But now, the Cameroonian fighter, who currently has a 0-1 record, could theoretically be crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion after just three career fights.

Lennox Lewis also raises questions over the fight

Following the announcement of Joshua vs Ngannou, Lennox Lewis, a former undisputed heavyweight champion in his own right, took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on the fight.

 

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